“Dong— Dong—”
As the long, crisp chime of the Big Ben bell rang out, the teachers packed up their lesson plans and left the classroom, granting the students a brief moment to breathe.
Even the students of Class A found their own ways to relax during the break.
After several days of interaction, the students had gradually become familiar with one another and begun to form their own small cliques.
For instance…
“Katsuragi-kun, why don’t we go try that new Western restaurant after school?
I heard their ribeye steak is excellent.”
“No, I plan to work on my Student Council application after school.
Totsuka, you shouldn’t always run off to Keyaki Mall the moment class ends.
You need to spend time improving yourself.”
“Y-yes!
As expected of Katsuragi-kun…”
That was Katsuragi Kohei and his “attachment,” Totsuka Yahiko.
Or…
“Yamamura Miki.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s play blindfolded hide-and-seek in a bit.
I’ll close my eyes, and you don’t move; let’s see if I can find you by touch.”
“Eh?!”
“This is Kamikakushi (Spiriting Away), you know—the legendary kind.
I’ve always suspected you have the blood of a Tanuki Yokai in you.”
“…It’s nothing like that.
I’m just the only one in my family with low presence.”
“Fine then, the location is set for the small woods behind the school building.”
“…”
That was the arbitrary Morishita Ai and her “Wall-E” friend, Yamamura Miki.
And then there was…
“Hey, hey, Satonaka-kun, buy us some drinks later.
We voted for you in the ‘Handsome Guy Ranking,’ you know.”
“Exactly!
Let’s go get drinks after school.”
“While I’m moved that you’re willing to support me…
may I ask what this ‘Handsome Guy Ranking’ is?”
“Eh, Satonaka-kun, you didn’t know?
It’s a very hot topic on the school forums right now.
It started as a private thing among students, but once someone posted it on the forum, it suddenly blew up.
Here, look…”
“I see.”
“Let me check…
the results are almost out…
Satonaka-kun, you’re in first place!
Congratulations!
I knew it would be you, no doubt.”
“Please don’t praise me like that; I’ll get conceited.”
That was Class A’s heartthrob, Satonaka Satoshi, and his groupies.
“Next is…” Hoashi continued scrolling through his phone, snapping his fingers excitedly.
“I knew Hirata-kun from Class D would be second.
He’s so handsome, has a gentle personality, and he’s an athletic type too.”
“The one in third place is—”
Hoashi’s fluidly scrolling finger suddenly froze.
He slowly looked up, his gaze beginning to wander.
Hoashi-chan, you’re making me curious—”
The girls accompanying him leaned their heads toward the phone and similarly froze in place.
Then, they turned their necks mechanically toward a certain corner of the classroom.
“Kito-san…”
Mikage Touji had both arms propped up on Kito Hayato’s desk, looking solemnly at the somewhat dull Kito as he made his request.
“Can I borrow your ‘Signature Weapon’ for a bit?”
“…”
Kito Hayato’s demon-like eyes looked at Mikage Touji.
The two stared at each other for a while until, finally, Kito lowered his head with a heavy sigh and pulled off his gloves.
“Take them.
Remember to return them.”
“Thanks!”
Having obtained the black gloves, Mikage Touji coolly put them on.
Pulling at the cuffs with one hand, a raging fire ignited in his eyes.
“Oh!
This feeling…
power is beginning to surge!
This mighty Pah-wa…
is this the power of the Black Flame Dragon sealed by Black Peat?
Subarashii (Wonderful)!”
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
“…”
All the girls in the class slapped their foreheads in unison, simultaneously raising a question from the depths of their souls:
‘Who on earth voted for this guy?’
While it was true that he was very handsome, his behavior was so abstract that the entire class had collectively ignored the fact that he was actually a good-looking guy.
“Classic Mikage-san,” Hashimoto Masayoshi interjected, having just returned from the restroom.
“By the way, did you vote in that ‘Girls Ranking’ I sent you last time?” Clearly, Hashimoto had overheard the girls’ conversation.
“I…
I did vote…” Mikage Touji, who usually didn’t care about others’ opinions, actually appeared bashful for once.
“So, who did you vote for?
That Ichinose, or Kushida Kikyo?
I heard Class D has a few nice girls too,” Hashimoto pressed.
“…”
Mikage Touji scratched the back of his head, his tone becoming evasive.
“I just picked one at random…
Forget it, this kind of list obviously has no accuracy to speak of.
Speaking of which, Hashimoto-san, it seems you joined the tennis club?
Tell us about the girls in your club.”
‘Hearing you say that makes me even more curious!’
The girls in class, who were eavesdropping with ears pricked, all said internally.
At this moment, the girls’ hearts of gossip were burning fiercely.
Judging by his tone, Ichinose Honami and Kushida Kikyo could be ruled out, and it likely wasn’t the girls from Class D either.
Class C didn’t seem to have many beauties, and in Class B, no one could compete with that Ichinose Honami.
That left Class A…
If there was anyone else in class who was a possibility…
The girls’ eyes secretly darted toward Morishita Ai, who was still entangled with Yamamura Miki.
If Mikage Touji was “abstractly chuunibyou,” then Morishita Ai was, in their eyes, a “maverick eccentric.”
The two of them were two peas in a pod—a perfect match in weirdness.
Not to mention Mikage Touji and Morishita Ai huddled together every day as if discussing some great secret.
If it were Morishita Ai…
Hoashi lit up his phone, entered the girls’ ranking, and searched for Morishita Ai’s name.
Search failed…
Her name wasn’t there.
It wasn’t her.
Then who was it?
“The results on the girls’ side should be out by now.
Do you want to take a look?” Hashimoto’s voice came at the right time.
“Ahahaha, there’s no need for that, right?
Nothing worth seeing!”
She’s definitely on the list!
In their gossip state, the girls’ reasoning abilities reached their peak, instantly seeing through to the truth.
Filled with curiosity, anticipation, and a tiny bit of indignation, the girls opened the ranking.
[3rd Place: Kushida Kikyo — 26 votes]
[2nd Place: Ichinose Honami — 38 votes]
1st Place…
The girls’ gaze followed the list down, and then their expressions instantly turned rigid.
An image of some Ultraman they didn’t know the name of gave them a thumbs-up.
[1st Place: Camearra (Ultraman) — 53 votes]
[Nominator: It was Kobe who killed the helicopter!]
The girls in class fell into silence simultaneously, their gazes drifting eerily toward a certain person.
If they had lost to Ichinose or Kushida, they would have accepted it; after all, their popularity was indeed very high.
Even losing to Morishita, they would have conceded—Morishita was eccentric, but she was cute and had an outstanding aura.
But losing to a species that wasn’t even human…
They would not accept it!
“There’s killing intent!”
Suddenly feeling a chill down his spine, Mikage Touji turned around warily.
A series of resentful gazes pierced through him, and his confidence was severely lacking.
“What?
Is it certain that I’m the one who voted?” he attempted to argue loudly.
“It could only be you, okay?!” the girls of the class said collectively.
“Well, it was what everyone wanted!
The facts prove I was right.
Although I ‘brushed’ a few votes at the very beginning, the ones after that were all cast by others.
This shows it’s the will of the people.”
“That’s exactly why we’re angry, okay?!”
In the end, Mikage Touji’s single mouth could not withstand the girls’ repeated bombardment, and he had to retreat to his seat in a sorry state.
“These women are truly unreasonable,” Mikage Touji grumbled as he pulled out his chair and sat down.
Turning his head, he found Morishita Ai staring at him intensely.
“Don’t tell me you care about this stuff too?” Mikage Touji felt a bit despondent.
“You actually didn’t put Kamen Rider up there with it…”
“Are there any female Kamen Riders?” He hadn’t watched much, only a few series, and they were far less memorable to him than Ultraman.
“But there are definitely male Kamen Riders.
Mikage Touji, you must be afraid of the power of Kamen Rider.”
Upon hearing this, Mikage Touji gave a contemptuous smile.
“Morishita Ai, there are boys who like Ultraman, but for a girl who likes Kamen Rider—you’re the only one in the whole school.”
“…”
Mikage Touji killed the game.